IU biologist seeks new strategy in war against antibiotic resistance
With increased knowledge about how quorum sensing and proteins control pathogenesis in bacteria, Assistant Professor Julia van Kessel's lab hopes to develop resistance-proof drugs.
2019 News
Save the bees! IU researchers study role of microbiomes in honey bee function
Postdoc Eric Smith (Newton Lab) uses computational biological methods to investigate how microbiomes support and influence bee function.
Bacterium uses single motor protein to power extension and retraction of its pilus
Courtney Ellison, who earned her Ph.D. in microbiology earlier this year, used a combination of cell biology, genetics, and biophysics to solve this puzzle during her thesis research in the Brun lab. Study results published in Science Advances.
Chemical compound found in essential oils improves wound healing, IU study finds
IU researchers have discovered that a chemical compound found in essential oils improves the healing process in mice when it is topically applied to a skin wound.
IU tick and mosquito surveillance project confirms Gulf Coast tick in southern Indiana
IU researchers have confirmed a tick species and known disease-carrying arachnid in southern Indiana typically associated with the southeastern United States.
Biologists reveal a mode of nongenetic inheritance in bacteria
Newly developed fluorescent reporters illuminate the many steps bacteria use to recombine newly ingested DNA into their genome during horizontal gene transfer by natural transformation.
IU Biology faculty members elected 2019 AAAS fellows
Three faculty members associated with IU Biology have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an honor that recognizes their outstanding contributions to the progress of science and research.
Dung beetle discovery revises understanding of how nature innovates
Realization that thoracic horns are built by the same gene network as wings reframes traditional ideas about emergence of 'new' traits.
New fossil pushes back physical evidence of insect pollination to 99 million years ago
A study co-led by U.S. and Chinese researchers has made a discovery that puts the first-known physical evidence of insect flower pollination in the mid-Cretaceous period. Professor Emeritus David Dilcher was the U.S. co-author on the study.
Palmer awarded IU president's highest honor
Jeffrey Palmer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Class of 1955 Professor of Biology, has been awarded the IU President's Medal for Excellence.
DNA-reeling bacteria yield new insight on how superbugs acquire drug resistance
A new imaging method invented at IU leads to a discovery about how bacteria use thin hair-like surface appendages called pili for 'natural transformation.'
Beekeepers, researchers, and state lawmakers agree: We need the bees
Associate Professor Irene Newton and Ph.D. students Audrey Parish and Delaney Miller talk with WTIU News about Indiana beekeeping.
$3.3M NIH MIRA grant will fund study of cell wall synthesis in bacterial "superbug"
Professor Malcolm Winkler will investigate cell wall synthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae to find new vulnerabilities of bacterial pathogens.
IU microbiologist is coauthor of acclaimed bestselling textbook on bacterial pathogenesis
Professor Malcolm Winkler has coauthored the highly anticipated fourth edition of Bacterial Pathogenesis—A Molecular Approach.
Key similarities discovered between human and archaea chromosomes
Discovery from Indiana University could advance use of single-celled organism in research on cancers related to errors in cellular gene expression.
A newly designed vaccine may help stamp out remaining polio cases worldwide
Through genetic changes, the weakened polio vaccine virus can reacquire the ability to cause paralytic polio. A new vaccine deliberately constructed to prevent the poliovirus from regaining virulence may be the answer.
IU alumnus H. Michael Shepard wins Lasker Award for developing the anti-cancer drug Herceptin
Herceptin is used to treat patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, an especially aggressive form of the disease.
Biologist awarded nearly $1.5 million for research on water fleas and flies.
Two NSF grants to Andrew Zelhof will support the use of arthropods to advance research on basic biological mechanisms, including vision.
Biologist to lead evolutionary research effort under nearly $2 million grant
Armin Moczek and colleagues will study how organisms play an active role in directing their own development and evolution
Durden awarded GCA Chatham Fellowship for Medicinal Botany
Ph.D. student Lekeah Durden will use the award to fund her research on the co-evolution of Ipomoea tricolor and its fungal partner.
African students gain research experience during summer program at IU
The experience gained while working in IU research laboratories will better prepare the students for application to graduate school.
Rowe-Magnus and Newton receive translational research awards
Funding will aid Rowe-Magnus's project to design an antimicrobial peptide to treat diabetic foot ulcers. Another grant will fund Newton's work to understand how a microbial symbiont of the honey bee protects against stressors.
First-of-its-kind ammonite in amber offers rare glimpse of ancient sea life
A 100-million-year-old lump of fossilized tree resin discovered in the mines of northern Myanmar is helping scientists shed new light on ancient sea life.
$1.8M NIH grant will fund research on how a bacterium stops mosquitoes from spreading disease
Irene Newton will investigate how Wolbachia colonizes insects to prevent the spread of diseases such as West Nile virus and Zika
Native plant species may be at greater risk from climate change than non-natives
Associate Professor Jen Lau (co-author on the study) and her students simulated global warming conditions in fields planted with native and non-native plants to test their hypothesis.
This year the flu came in two waves—here’s why
Professor Emerita Pat Foster explains why there were two waves of flu during the 2018-19 flu season.
Birds outfitted with 'backpacks' to research environmental change in Indiana
Biologist Alex Jahn investigates migration patterns of robins with tiny GPS trackers to inform an 'early detection system' of environmental shifts
EEB Graduate Program's award and fellowship roundup
A compilation of recent achievements of our Ph.D. students in the Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior Graduate Program.
Undergraduate in Newton lab named Goldwater Scholar
Kaeli Bryant, an undergraduate doing research in the Newton lab, has been named a Goldwater Scholar for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Peering into the past, scientists discover bacteria transformed a viral threat to survive
An IU Biology study showing bacteria can evolve new genes from viral attackers could help advance research on bacterial resistance, other uses of bacteria
Brun receives premier award for senior researchers
IU Distinguished Professor Yves Brun has been awarded the 2019 Murray Award from the Canadian Society of Microbiologists.
A candle loses nothing by lighting other candles
Gabriel Muhire Gihana (Lacefield lab) is honored to be the first graduate student featured in the Journal of Cell Biology's People and Ideas series.
Berndtson receives teaching award
Senior Lecturer Amy Berndtson has been awarded the David and Cheryl Morley Career Distinguished Teaching Award.
IU Biology alum presents inaugural Minority Alumni Speaker Series lecture
Antiño Allen [M.A. 2000, Ph.D. 2010] returns to IU to discuss his experiences as a graduate student and as a young faculty member as well as to present a scientific lecture.
Can changing the microbiome reverse lactose intolerance?
Reversing lactose intolerance might make it possible for adults to enjoy ice cream and other dairy products again.
IU Herbarium completes massive plant digitization project
The digitization of more than 160,000 plant specimens will provide access to data to researchers across the globe.
IU biologist uses his own artwork in storytelling approach to microbiology class
Taking advantage of his passion for art, IU biologist Jake McKinlay is taking a creative approach to teaching his advanced undergraduate course on microbial physiology and biochemistry.
NSF awards IU biologist $860,000 to study evolutionary development
Professor Armin Moczek will use dung beetles to contrast two ways that new traits emerge in species.
Research highlights promise of IU's newly signed agreements with Sorbonne
A study led by Professor David Kehoe of IU Biology and Frédéric Partensky of Sorbonne University published in PNAS exemplifies the great partnership between IU and Sorbonne University to develop research and student exchanges.
IU Ph.D. student earns graduate award for bacterial research
IU Ph.D. student Courtney Ellison has been named a 2019 recipient of the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Indiana University named top producer for Fulbright U.S. Student Program
IU Biology alumna Madeline Danforth, who earned her B.S. in microbiology with departmental honors last May, is one of the 2018-19 recipients—receiving a Fulbright award to teach English in Mexico.
Dalia named outstanding junior faculty member
Assistant Professor Ankur Dalia is recipient of Indiana University Outstanding Junior Faculty Award.
Get ready for IU Day!
Celebrate IU Day (April 10, 2019) with the IU Department of Biology.
IU scientist embarks on Caribbean 'treasure hunt' in search of flies and wasps
Professor Dan Tracey and graduate student Jeremy Davis are on a three-month excursion across the Caribbean to collect flies and wasps to research the evolutionary changes in Drosophila.
Biologist Jay Lennon elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology
IU Professor of Biology Jay Lennon has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, an honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology.
IU biologists' discovery opens up new research directions in plant biology
Professor Roger Innes, graduate student Brian Rutter, and lab members have developed protocols for purifying and analyzing plant exosomes.
IU's environmental Grand Challenge brings bird banding station to Bloomington
Distinguished Professor of Biology Ellen Ketterson and Bloomington resident Eve Cusack established a bird banding station, entwining science with education.
IU Ph.D. student qualifies for Olympic trials in marathon
Olivia Ballew, a Ph.D. candidate in the Lacefield lab, balances running and graduate school.
Earliest records of fruit fly genetics research donated to Indiana University
IU's international reputation for Drosophila research attracts donation of collection for preservation.
IU study predicts how air pollutants from U.S. forest soils will increase with climate change
Tree changes in the midwest and eastern U.S. will lead to more atmospheric chemicals that cause air pollution and respiratory illness.
The College of Arts